New Jersey Transit rail operations
}} Trackage New Jersey Transit operates a rail network of 11 rail lines, 161 stations and 954 miles as of the 2003 fiscal year (June 30, 2003). The lines are grouped into two distinct divisions. Newark Division The Newark Division consists of the lines operating out of Newark Penn Station. Before the formation of NJ Transit, these lines were operated by the and the . *Northeast Corridor Line **Princeton Branch *North Jersey Coast Line *Raritan Valley Line Hoboken Division The remaining lines, with the exception of Atlantic City, are in the Hoboken Division, operating out of Hoboken Terminal. This division is made up of former lines and is further split into two sub-divisions. Morris and Essex lines The Morris and Essex Lines consist of former (later ) lines. *Montclair-Boonton Line The portion of the line from Bay Street to Newark Broad Street Station was formerly the Montclair Branch of the Morris and Essex Lines before the Montclair connection connected it to the Boonton Line. *''Morris & Essex Lines'' **Morristown Line **Gladstone Branch Erie Lines These lines are formally called the Erie Lines because their right-of-way at one time belonged to the Erie Railroad. They do not terminate at Penn Station (New York City); rather, they terminate at Hoboken Terminal. Connections to other New Jersey Transit train lines may be made at Secaucus Junction. *Main Line *Bergen County Line *Pascack Valley Line Atlantic City Line The Atlantic City Line, originating from Philadelphia, PA, is in neither division and is thus considered its own division. An express line from New York, NY to Atlantic City was proposed in June, 2006. Light rail lines NJT also runs three light rail lines: *Hudson-Bergen Light Rail *Newark Light Rail *River LINE Rights-of-way New Jersey Transit owns most of its tracks, infrastructure, bridges, tunnels, signals, and right-of-way, as opposed to having them leased via trackage rights from private freight railroads. The exceptions on the NJT system are the following: *'Atlantic City Line' – Philadelphia to Delair Junction (formerly owned by Conrail) *'Northeast Corridor Line' – entire line (owned by Amtrak) *'Port Jervis Line' – Suffern to Port Jervis (owned by Norfolk Southern and operated by Metro North) *'Raritan Valley Line' – Aldene to NK Tower (owned by Conrail) *'River LINE' – runs mostly along Conrail's Bordentown Secondary and was purchased by NJ Transit to construct the line NJ Transit has a fleet of maintenance crews and vehicles that repair tracks, spread ballast, deliver supplies and inspect infrastructure. There are 8 "non-revenue" work diesels used for these purposes. Non-operated lines New Jersey Transit also owns the right of way of several branch lines that it does not operate, some of which are leased to freight railroads to serve freight customers. *Harrison-Kingsland Branch *Western extension of the Raritan Valley Line from High Bridge to Alpha (track is gone from Ludlow to Bloomsbury) *Southern Secondary from Red Bank to South Lakewood and Woodmansie to Winslow Junction (the part from South Lakewood to Lakehurst, New Jersey is owned by Conrail, and from Lakehurst to Woodmansie is owned by Clayton Sand) *Beesley's Point Secondary from Winslow Junction to Ocean City *Cape May Branch from Tuckahoe to Cape May, plus a branch to Cape May Point *Former Bergen County Line from HX Interlocking (Hackensack River) to Croxton Yard, realigned for Secaucus Junction *Freehold Secondary from Freehold to Farmingdale Freight contracts Although NJ Transit itself does not carry freight, it has trackage rights agreements with several railroads to operate on its lines for freight service. Conrail, CSX, Norfolk Southern and several short lines (Cape May Seashore Lines, Morristown & Erie Railway, Southern Railroad of New Jersey) currently have trackage rights contracts to operate freight service on NJT lines. The M&E can only use NJT trackage to get between its owned trackage; it cannot serve customers on NJT trackage. A similar situation exists for Conrail on the Atlantic City Line. Below is a list of NJ Transit lines and freight lines that operate on them: *Hoboken Division **''Morris & Essex Lines'' ***Morristown Line: NS, M&E (West End to Hackettstown) ***Gladstone Branch: NS **Montclair-Boonton Line: NS, M&E **Harrison Cut-off (unused by NJ Transit): NS **Main Line: NS, M&E (West End to Rutherford Junction) **Bergen County Line: NS, M&E (Rutherford Junction to Passaic Junction) **Pascack Valley Line: NS *Newark Division **Raritan Valley Line: Conrail (Aldene to Bound Brook), NS (west of Bound Brook) **Northeast Corridor Line: Conrail (south of Waverly) **North Jersey Coast Line: Conrail *Atlantic City Line: Conrail (west of Pennsauken Junction), SRNJ **Beesley's Point Secondary (unused by NJ Transit): Conrail ***Cape May Branch (unused by NJ Transit): CMSL, SRNJ *Southern Secondary: Conrail (northern part, north of South Lakewood) **Freehold Secondary: Conrail The former Boonton Line east of the new Montclair Connection is now owned by Norfolk Southern. Movable bridges NJ Transit operates numerous drawbridges, or movable bridges, especially in the northeastern part of the state. NJ Transit movable bridges *Dock Bridge, Newark (Passaic River)-Northeast Corridor Line (vertical lift) (owned by Amtrak) *Portal Bridge, Secaucus (Hackensack River)-Northeast Corridor Line (swing)(owned by Amtrak) *Broad Street Bridge, Newark (Passaic River)-Morristown Line (swing) *Lower Hack Lift, Jersey City (Hackensack River)-Morristown Line (vertical lift) *Upper Hack Lift, Secaucus (Hackensack River)-Main Line (vertical lift) *HX Draw, Secaucus (Hackensack River)-Bergen County Line (vertical lift) *Lyndhurst Draw, Lyndhurst (Passaic River)-Main Line (swing) *Thorofare Draw, Atlantic City-Atlantic City Line (swing) *Delair Bridge, Camden (Delaware River)-Atlantic City Line (vertical lift) (owned by Conrail) Rolling stock Locomotives Diesel *''PL42AC'' no. 4000-4032 built by Alstom and featuring EMD 16-710 prime-movers, 2004-06. Nearly all of these units are now in revenue service on the Hoboken Division, with a few remaining units still being delivered from Alstom. *''GP40PH-2'' no. 4100-4112 built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division, 1968, rebuilt by Conrail 1991. Rebuilt from former Central Railroad of New Jersey GP40Ps *''GP40FH-2'' no. 4130-4144 built by GM/EMD, 1966-70, rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen with Burlington Northern F45 cowls 1987-90 from former New York Central, Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific GP40s *''GP40PH-2A'' no. 4145-4150 built by GM/EMD 1968-71, rebuilt by Conrail 1993-94. 4148 wrecked 1996, rebuilt 1997 by conrail! Rebuilt from former B&O, CSX and Penn Central GP40s *''GP40PH-2B'' no. 4200-4219 built by GM/EMD 1965-69, rebuilt by Conrail 1993-94/97 Rebuilt from former New York Central and Penn Central GP40s *''F40PH-2CAT'' no 4113-4129 built by GM/EMD 1981, rebuilt by Conrail 1997-98 *''GP40FH-2'' no. 4184-4189 built by GM/EMD 1966, rebuilt by MK with F45 cowls 1988-90 owned by Metro North Railroad. Former Rock Island GP40s *''GP40PH-2M'' no. 4190 built by GM/EMD 1969, rebuilt by Conrail 1991. Owned by Metro-North. Former Penn Central GP40 *''F40PH-2CAT'' no. 4191-4194 built 1981, rebuilt by Norfolk Southern 1999 (4191/4192), 2003 (4193/4194). Owned by Metro-North, former Amtrak F40PHs *SW-1500 500-503 built 1970-72 and GP40-2 4300-4303 built 1965-68 used in non-revenue service. All diesel units have 105 mph (169 km/h) top speed. GP40/F40 units have a power rating of 3000 hp (2.2 MW). PL42AC units have a power rating of 4200 hp (3.1 MW). NJ TRANSIT is purchasing 33 new PL-42 Diesel locomotives; 28 locomotives will replace 13 GP40PH and 15 GP40FH locomotives built as long ago as 1965. Five of the new locomotives will provide for the anticipated ridership growth associated with the new Secaucus Junction, Montclair Connection and other planned projects. Electric *''ALP-44'' no. 4400-4414 built 1990 by ASEA Brown Boveri, (Sweden) 125 mph (201 km/h), 7000 hp (5.2 MW). *''ALP-44'' no. 4415-4419 built 1995 by ABB Sweden, 125 mph (201 km/h), 7000 hp (5.2 MW) *''ALP-44M'' no. 4420-4431 built 1996-97 by ABB Sweden, 125 mph (201 km/h), 7000 hp (5.2 MW), microprocessor equipped *''ALP-46'' no. 4600-4628 built 2000-2002 by ADtranz (Bombardier), (Kassel), 7100 hp (5.3 MW), derived from DBAG Class 101 Top speed of 100 mph, used on the Northeast Corridor, Morris & Essex, North Jersey Coast, & Montclair Boonton Lines for service to New York Penn Station & Hoboken Terminal. Coaches Comet I *1600-1609 (1607 scrapped)-retired *1700-1760-retired *5100-5134 (Cab)(5102, 5112, 5122 scrapped) *5707-5751 These cars were the first push-pull fleet for the Erie Lackawanna's Hoboken diesel lines and were built by Pullman Standard of Chicago. They date from circa 1970 and have been in daily service for 35 years (2005). They originally featured 2-2 reversible seating, but were rebuilt with 3-2 fixed seating in 1987. 1600-1609 and 1700-1760 have "low doors" and therefore cannot be directly accessed from a high platform. These cars appear nearly identical to the Comet II cars prior to their rebuild as Comet IIMs, with smooth aluminum sides, lack of center door, and similar decals; the difference between them and Comet IIMs is more striking presently, as Comet IIMs were given long doors, decals similar to the Comet IV, and electronic destination signs. (The now-retired or rebuilt low-door cars proved to be a problem with compatibility between the Hoboken and Newark Divisions, since the Newark Division historically had high platforms.) These cars were rebuilt in 1987 by Bombardier in Barre, Vermont, renumbered, high-level doors and wheelchair accessibility featured on the cab cars (5100-5134) and trailers 5707-5751. 1600-1609 were formerly snack bar cars. They can be found on the Main, Bergen County, Pascack Valley and Montclair-Boonton lines as well as select Morristown Line diesel trains. The low-door cars have been removed from service (as of 12/30/05). Comet IB *5155-5169 (Cab) *5220-5234 Originally built as Arrow I electric multiple-unit cars for the in 1968-1969 by the St. Louis Car Company. Rebuilt 1987-1989 to push-pull coaches (cabs and trailers). These cars have the same ribbed exterior as the Arrow IIIs, but are distinguishable by the riveted patching over their removed center doors (similar in appearance to SEPTA's Silverliner IVs) plus a ribbed appearance at the front of the cabs. These worked mainly on the Newark Division for several years, expanding to the Hoboken Division with the opening of the Waterfront Connection and startup of Midtown Direct, but are now almost exclusive to the Hoboken Division. They are still often seen on the Raritan Valley Line. Comet II *5300-5458 (Trailers) *5459 (Jersey Shore Commuter Club Car, exclusively on North Jersey Coast Line) These cars were recently rebuilt between 1999 and 2002 by AAI Corp. in Maryland. They were originally built by Bombardier 1982-1989 as both cab cars and trailer coaches, and with two distinct types, the Comet II (1982-83) and Comet IIB (1987-89). All cab cars have been "decabbed" and are now trailer coaches. The rebuilt fleet is now called Comet IIM. They can be found on all rail lines, but numbers of them can be found on the Raritan Valley Line, due the the additional seating needed as a result of the Interstate 78 construction. Comet III *5000-5010 (Cab) *5200-5205 *5500-5534 These units were built 1990-1991 by Bombardier and feature center doors (which Comet I/Comet IIs lack) for easier boarding and detraining; they were also the first of the Comets to feature long doors, which permit the end doors to be automatically opened and closed at low-platform stations with the trapdoor in the up position. They are used on the high-capacity lines—Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast and Morristown Line as well as in mixed sets with rebuilt Comet IIMs, Comets IVs and Comets Vs on other lines. Cab cars 5009 & 5010 were originally built for Metro-North, as cab cars 5179 and 5180 respectivley; these were never used for West-of-Hudson services but in fact spent most of their time on the Northeast Corridor, and were subsequently traded to NJT in 1998 with Metro-North corporate logos traded for NJT's. The Comet III's were not built with any digital destination signs, and as a result do not have the required GPS equipment to make the interior destination signs change properly. As a result, multiple trains with even a Comet III trailer in the consist have been known to wreak havoc, showing/announcing the wrong station, or garbled characters. The Comet III's are slated for rebuild in the coming years. All cabs will be "decabbed," similar to the Comet II fleet, in order to comply with FRA regulations. Comet IV *5011-5031 (Cab) *5235-5264 *5535-5582 First delivered in the fall of 1996, the Comet IV was purchased especially for the "MiDTOWN Direct" service on the Morristown line. These cars are the first NJ Transit cars with automatic climate control, Global Positioning Systems and digital displays. These cars are the backbone of Atlantic City line service and also appear on most other lines in mixed sets of Comet IIs, IIIs and Vs. Comet V *6000–6083 (Cab) *6200–6213 (Trailer with toilet) *6500–6601 (Trailer) The Comet V cars are New Jersey Transit's newest, with delivery beginning in the fall of 2002 and completed by the summer of 2005. The cars were built by Alstom with car bodies built in Brazil. The cars are being used as direct replacements for many of 1970-vintage Comet I cars as well as for new or longer trains. They can be found throughout the system. Comet VI *7000-? (Cab) *7200-? *7500-? These are the first NJ Transit bi-level passenger cars. The cars are being built by Bombardier. One trailer, 7200, was at Newark Penn Station briefly in September 2005 for a media event. Cab car 7001 was built first, as opposed to 6000 being the first cab built in the Comet V series. This has been the cab car used on testing on all NJT lines, being tested with the ALP44, ALP46, GP40, and PL42AC locomotives. In the consist, multiple trailers (numbers unknown) were stripped to a bare interior and held numerous drums filled with sand to simulate passenger weight. These units have been sent back to Bombardier for refurbushing. ALP44 4410 was renumbered as 4400 (specifically, BBRX 4400, to denote Bombardier's lease of the unit) and used during testing at the FRA facility in Pueblo, CO. The Comet VI's have been run to approx. 130mph. A line of bilevels (at times coupled to an ALP46) can be seen at the MMC. The cars feature a mezzanine level for standees, bicycles, strollers, and handicapped commuters. They also have a Passenger Emergency Intercom in the cabin and bathrooms. Some fear this feature may be abused. Some Comet VI's have been purchased by the Atlantic City casinos to be used in New York-Atlantic City service. Electric MU cars Arrow III *1304-1333 (singles) *1334-1533 (pairs) Built in 1977-1978 by the Budd Company with GE components. These cars can seat 117/car (113 with toilet) and originally had a top speed of 100 mph. When rebuilt in the early 1990s, traction motors were upgraded from DC to AC; one traction motor per pair was removed and the top speed was lowered to 80 mph sometime later due to unspecified operational problems. They operate on all electrified routes, namely the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line (to Matawan only), Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch and Montclair/Boonton Line (to Montclair State University Station in Little Falls). They can run in sets of up to 14 cars, or as a single car (as on the Princeton Shuttle). Arrow IIIs are capable of running on the 11.5kV 25Hz AC power on the Northeast Corridor or on the 25kV 60Hz NJT-owned electric lines; however, they lack automatic variable-tap transformers that the ALP-44 and ALP-46 possess. Transformer taps must be manually changed out in the MMC; the MUs cannot change transformer taps "on the fly" as the electric locomotives can; therefore, Arrow IIIs cannot operate via the mixed-voltage MidTOWN Direct (Kearny Connection) and can no longer operate on North Jersey Coast Line service south of Matawan (although, prior to the catenary upgrade, Arrows were common on trains serving Long Branch). There is debate as to whether these will be rebuilt (including automatic variable tap transformers), or replaced by a hypothetical Arrow IV fleet. Passenger car interiors Passenger cars on New Jersey Transit typically have tan or brown seats that can be flipped over so a passenger can ride backward or forwards (these are generally arranged by the train crew to have all passengers facing the direction of travel), linoleum floors, luggage racks, white walls, and woodgrain decor. In the early 1990s, interiors with orange and yellow seats and blue and green seats were not uncommon, but the tan/brown scheme supplanted this. Newer Comet IV cars and Comet IIM rebuilds feature pastel colors (pink and white walls, sky-blue bench seats), and Comet V coaches have burgundy seats with individual headrests, along with large windows. (Comet V window size exceeds that of Amtrak's Amfleet cars, and are reminiscent of windows on older long-distance equipment.) The Comet VI bilevels feature blue walls and blue seats in a 2+2 arrangement. Stations NJ Transit's rail network has 161 stations, of which vary from major commuter hubs like New York Penn Station, Hoboken Terminal and Newark Penn Station to small trackside plexiglas shelters or simple stops with only a small platform. Almost all NJT Rail stations are owned/operated by NJ Transit, except the following: *New York Penn Station (Amtrak) *Campbell Hall, NY (Metro-North) *Harriman, NY (Metro-North) *Middletown, NY (Metro-North) *Nanuet, NY (Owned by NJ Transit; Leased to Metro-North) *Otisville, NY (Metro-North) *Pearl River, NY (Owned by NJ Transit; Leased to Metro-North) *Port Jervis, NY (Metro-North) *Salisbury Mills-Cornwall, NY (Metro-North) *Sloatsburg, NY (Metro-North) *Spring Valley, NY (Metro-North) *Tuxedo, NY (Metro-North) *Philadelphia 30th Street Station, PA (Amtrak/SEPTA) See also *Metro-North *Conrail Sources *Railroad.net forum thread *NJT press release External links *NJ Transit *NJ Transit Rail *The Unofficial NJ TRANSIT Website *Railroad.net forums *NJ Transit Rail GIFs